Isoelectronic compounds can be an excellent substitute for a more expensive and a rare metal. Transition metal carbides (transition metal carbides) exhibit similar catalytic activities to the platinum group metals but are orders of magnitude more abundant and less expensive. However, the high temperatures (greater than ˜1000 K) needed to synthesize transition metal carbides inhibit the production of highly active nanoparticles (nanoparticles) due to sintering, support degradation, and excess surface carbon.